The University of New England is offering a free bicycle to every new student who opts to leave their car at home. It is one of the first American schools to adopt such an incentive, aimed at reducing congestion and the school's carbon footprint.

To ease a parking shortage on its campuses in Biddeford and Portland, UNE is offering free bikes or 28 prepaid hours of time in new Zipcars to incoming resident freshman who leave their cars behind, the Portland Press Herald reported. To fund the free bicycles and other incentives, which are expected to cost $50,000, UNE increased parking permit fees for freshmen who do bring cars from $80 to $300, the paper said.

The school expects about half the students, or roughly 225, to come car-free to college and take advantage of one of the two incentive programs. Bowdoin College in Brunswick is also banning freshmen cars starting next year.